Volume 3 Number 1 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58800/bujhss.v3i1.23Keywords:
The Kite Runner, Marxist perspective, class conflict, content analysis., Mathematics education, Teaching, Digital content resources, Digital competences, Digital technology, Knowledge and skills, Instrumental genesis, Framework, CSR, myth, reality, SME, corporate philanthropy, CSR practices, JEL CODE: G30, G38, G39., eWOM, WOM, online consumer reviews, consumer purchase decision, Social media., Human Resource Management, Recruitment & Selection, Training & Development, Performance Appraisal, Compensation & Benefits, Career Development, Organizational Effectiveness., ROA, ROE, Leverage.Abstract
- This study seeks to explore the divisions of power and class conflict
in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner through Marxist perspective. The
novel follows the journey of two childhood companions, Amir and Hassan
where the political and economic conditions of their country shaped their
lives and relationship. Marxism is the political and economic theory mainly
based on Karl Marx’s assertions, who believed that class divisions within a
society always tend to lead to a proletariat revolt which eventually leads to
a classless society where everyone holds an equal share in the economy and
power. The present study adopts a Qualitative research design using
content analysis. Analysis of various lines from the text led to the findings
that The Kite Runnerreflects Marxists perspective of class conflict and
division of power which leads ultimately to various changes in society.
Besides, the findings of this paper also reflect that The Kite Runner remains
relevant today because of its insight into Afghan culture and the history of
the Taliban. - In recent years, the eLearning industry in Pakistan has been
engaged in the design and development of digital content resources(DCR)
to support the teaching and learning of school mathematics. However, little
effort has been made to examine the current knowledge and skills of high
school mathematics teachers for the use of DCR. In contrast, a growing
interest of international scholars is noticeable in the field of "Resources for
Mathematics Teachers" which also includes digital content resources.
Various theoretical, methodological and conceptual frameworks have
emerged with this concern. This paper examined recent studies for the use
of DCR in mathematics education and identified frameworks such as TPACK
(technological pedagogical and content knowledge), PTK (pedagogical
technological knowledge), Instrumental Genesis, and MDKT (mathematical
digital knowledge for teaching) that can be used by national (Pakistan) and
international researchers as a lens to study the knowledge and skills of high
school mathematics teachers for the use of DCR. - Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the concept which is now
widely accepted in the developed world. In Pakistan, corporate sector is
providing good examples of CSR activities but in the SME sector, this concept
has not been matured yet.
OBJECTIVE
The main objectives of the study are to know the perceptions of CSR
among SMEs owners of Karachi and to determine the reality of CSR practices
in SMEs.
RESULTS
Results showed that there was a lack of awareness about the
concept of CSR in the SME sector. Many business owners practice charity and
philanthropic activities but do not count them as CSR activities due to
unawareness. Absence of guidelines for CSR especially for SMEs and
misconception about the disclosure of CSR activities, lack of support from
SMEDA and government were the major barriers responsible for the absence
CSR practices in SMEs.
CONCLUSION
Chamber of Commerce, SMEDA, government and non-governmental
organizations should play their role in creating and raising awareness of CSR
among the SMEs. Also, these entites should facilite SMEs in terms of
acquiring permissions, technical support, subsidies and tax rebates in order
raise CSR practices. - The proliferation of internet has bought an irreversible shift in the
mode of communication by influencing consumers to move from orthodox
means of communication to newer version of online communication.
However, means of communication can vary and so is their impact. The
purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of newly introduced
communication mode known as electronic word of mouth (eWOM) which is
an extended version of word of mouth (WOM). This study uncovered some
important dimensions in which Internet-based feedback mechanisms differ
from traditional word-of-mouth networks and surveys the most important
issues related to their design, evaluation, and use. It was found that among
all platforms, SNS (social networking sites) are considered the utmost
influential base. A total of 35 research paper were identified initially out of
which 31 were selected after initial screening. Articles were selected
pertaining to period 2000-2020 .The result of the study illustrates that
eWOM platforms are very effective in building customer relationship
whereas, social networking sites are considered most influential of all as
they create a buzz among present and prospective customers. - The fundamental focus of the current study is to comprehend and
examine the influence of human resource management practices (HRM)
practices on organizational effectiveness at Abbas Steel Group (AGS), Karachi.
The HRM practices considered for this research include recruitment &
selection, training & development, performance appraisal, compensation &
benefits, and career development. Adopting the deductive approach,
primary data were gathered via an adopted questionnaire floated among
184 employees at Abbas Steel Group. The data collected for the research
were further processed using Pearson’s Correlation and Regression Analysis
tools with the help of SPSS V23 software. The research indicates that all
predictors have a positive relationship with organizational effectiveness. On
the other side, training & development, as well as compensation & benefits
have a substantial influence on organizational effectiveness while recruitment
& selection, performance appraisal, and career development have an
insignificant impact on organizational effectiveness. The findings of the
study are considered quite helpful for the human resource department of
ASG in the understanding influence of existing HRM practices. Other
employers and industries may also seek guidance for the study and further
improve their HRM practices. - The motive of this research is to find out that is there any impact of
financial leverage on firms’ profitability which is the banking sector. It has
been noticed that limited researches are available in the banking sector of
Pakistan. Convenient sampling technique is used to identify the impact of
firms’ profitability on the data gathered from annual reports of 10 private
banks from 2007 – 2016. Eviews system is used to regress the model. From
the outcome, we determined that there is a significant relationship between
ROA, ROE with Leverages which means that financial leverages have a
significant impact on firms’ profitability.